An estimated 60 million of these extraordinary animals were killed as the United States expanded westwards.
Their destruction was presented by some as the inevitable price of progress and “national destiny”.
Yet this was not progress. It was an environmental catastrophe and an assault upon an animal that had sustained Indigenous peoples for countless generations.
In Land of the Buffalo, acclaimed wildlife photographer and writer Larry Laverty combines passionate writing with more than 150 remarkable photographs to document the lives of the buffalo of Yellowstone National Park.
The American buffalo, more accurately known as the American bison, has become a symbol of strength, resilience and survival.
These are animals capable of enduring bitter winters, deep snow, scarce food and sub-zero temperatures. Their physical power is undeniable, but so too is their vulnerability to human decisions.
“Like the bald eagle, the American buffalo is a powerful symbol of the United States,” Laverty told That's Books and More.
“Yet while the buffalo may represent national qualities of strength and resilience, it’s incumbent to remember that the American buffalo, like the American Indian, were here first. This was their land, their home, and we destroyed it.”
Laverty’s photographs reveal Yellowstone through every season. Winter brings desperation as food becomes scarce and temperatures plummet. Spring transforms the seemingly lifeless landscape as plants return and new calves are born.
During summer, the herds enter the dramatic mating season known as the rut. By autumn, the survivors of the previous winter are already preparing for the ordeal to come.
However, Land of the Buffalo is far more than a celebration of natural beauty. It also examines the deeply controversial management of Yellowstone’s wild bison.
The park is required to maintain a population of between 3,500 and 6,000 animals. Numbers are controlled through tribal and state hunting when bison leave the park, capture and slaughter, and the Bison Conservation Transfer Programme, which seeks to move suitable animals to new locations rather than kill them.
The Stephens Creek Bison Capture Facility has consequently become a focus of criticism. Environmental campaigners, including the Buffalo Field Campaign, argue that wild herds should be allowed greater freedom and have raised concerns about transparency and the continued slaughter of these iconic animals.
After humanity came so close to eradicating the species, we have a profound responsibility to ensure that survival does not simply mean being tolerated within tightly controlled boundaries.
Land of the Buffalo asks readers to look beyond the familiar national symbol and recognise a living, breathing community of animals.
Magnificent, resilient and still threatened by human choices, Yellowstone’s buffalo deserve more than our admiration. They deserve space, protection and a future worthy of their extraordinary history.
That's Books and More believes this will be an excellent Christmas gift for Christmas 2026.
